Difference between SA, SB and SC cabins on NA

[tulip2010]

Hi all,

We are relatively new to cruisin. We went on 2 about 10 years ago and are returning:) We are looking at a Caribbean Cruise on the NA March 2018 and are planning to splurge on a Neptune Suite. It is my 50th b-day. When looking at the different rooms it looks like the SA cabins are all on the 7th deck (Rotterdam Deck). The SB and SC are on the 6th Deck (Upper Verandah). We are thinking of the 6th deck to be a little bit away from the Neptune Lounge. We don't mind stairs or walking. My question is what is the difference between an SC cabin and an SB cabin?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Tampa Girl]

Location. The SA's are closer to the Neptune Lounge. We enjoy the Lounge and the concierge so prefer to be on the same floor, not too far away, or on lower floor near the stairs closest to the Lounge.

[kazu]

Hi all,

We are relatively new to cruisin. We went on 2 about 10 years ago and are returning:) We are looking at a Caribbean Cruise on the NA March 2018 and are planning to splurge on a Neptune Suite. It is my 50th b-day. When looking at the different rooms it looks like the SA cabins are all on the 7th deck (Rotterdam Deck). The SB and SC are on the 6th Deck (Upper Verandah). We are thinking of the 6th deck to be a little bit away from the Neptune Lounge. We don't mind stairs or walking. My question is what is the difference between an SC cabin and an SB cabin?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

location first of all. (from the Neptune lounge and from mid ship).

 

My first thoughts are to ask why do you want to be away from the Neptune Lounge? It's not a rowdy bar, it's just a lounge with YOUR concierge, coffee machine, teas, juices, snacks, etc.

 

If you like aft cabins then SC''s are a good choice, location wise.

 

Generally speaking, I have found the SC's to have smaller space (and most SB's although some are laid out so you don't notice as much) in the cabin than the SA's.

The SC's/SB's may offer a bigger verandah in some cases but the inside space suffers so it depends upon what your priority is.

 

No matter which category you choose, I hope you enjoy it.

[tulip2010]

location first of all. (from the Neptune lounge and from mid ship).

 

My first thoughts are to ask why do you want to be away from the Neptune Lounge? It's not a rowdy bar, it's just a lounge with YOUR concierge, coffee machine, teas, juices, snacks, etc.

 

If you like aft cabins then SC''s are a good choice, location wise.

 

Generally speaking, I have found the SC's to have smaller space (and most SB's although some are laid out so you don't notice as much) in the cabin than the SA's.

The SC's/SB's may offer a bigger verandah in some cases but the inside space suffers so it depends upon what your priority is.

 

No matter which category you choose, I hope you enjoy it.

 

Thanks Kazu and Tampa Girl. When looking at the price difference my thought is climbing a few stairs isn't worth the difference in price in the cabins. But it sounds like the SA cabins are a bit bigger, and that is worth the price for us!

[dee2673]

We had an aft wrap Neptune Suite, which was an SB, on our last cruise. We LOVED it and have booked another for our Caribbean cruise next year. It is also an SB. Ours was on the Rotterdam deck and we didn't mind the walk to the NL at all. It's close to the aft elevators which takes you right to the Lido.

 

 

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[blizzardboy]

Hi all,

We are relatively new to cruisin. We went on 2 about 10 years ago and are returning:) We are looking at a Caribbean Cruise on the NA March 2018 and are planning to splurge on a Neptune Suite. It is my 50th b-day. When looking at the different rooms it looks like the SA cabins are all on the 7th deck (Rotterdam Deck). The SB and SC are on the 6th Deck (Upper Verandah). We are thinking of the 6th deck to be a little bit away from the Neptune Lounge. We don't mind stairs or walking. My question is what is the difference between an SC cabin and an SB cabin?

Thanks in advance for your help!

The Neptune SBs at the aft corners of Decks 4-8 are obviously the farthest away from the NL and are our favorites. Their verandas wrap around the corner of the ship (you'll see them called aft-wraps) giving you a 270 degree field of view. They are convenient to the aft pool and the MDR, but you get some walking in as everything else is forward of your location. The SCs are in "less desirable" locations when compared to the SAs, but you're talking at most about being deck or two away from the NL and a little aft, and they can be a bargain. An SC "guarantee" (you let them pick your cabin) often ends up getting upgraded to an SB or SC and is the lowest fare to reserve a Neptune.

As a prior post stated, the NL isn't rowdy. It's a great place for a Continental breakfast with the morning news, snacks throughout the day, and the concierge can handle anything from reservations to front desk functions. I start there with coffee and Danish then migrate to the Pinnacle Grill for a great breakfast. You can get the same food in the MDR, but the PG's service is great and so is the view. This Neptune Suite perk is one of my favorites.

Warning: Suites are addictive! We booked an aft-wrap for the Panama Canal partial transit several years ago and are hooked for life.

[DaveOKC]

A few years ago HAL redid the SA. SB and SC categories on all the larger ships, so you can tell that there is little difference in the cabin sizes (I think the aft-wraps are a bit smaller). Now it seems that they put the Neptune cabins in the SA category when they are close to the Neptune Lounge (basically the same deck).

 

The aft-wraps used to be SC, until HAL saw how well they were selling, so they got moved to SB.good

 

The SCs are mostly used for marketing purposes (IMO). That way they can advertise lower suite prices. They also very often are sold as guarantee only. That way HAL can charge you more if you want to select your cabin.

 

While the SCs are usually a good value, keep in mind the fact that HAL assigns the SC guarantee cabins AFTER they have completed the "paid upgrade (or upsell)" process. Because of this, the people taking the upsell offers generally get their choice of available cabins before you do as an SC guarantee. Not fair IMO, but thats how it works.

[alwaysfrantic]

They reshuffled categories a few years ago and some SA rooms became SC. So room wise, those are exactly the same.

[visagrunt]

Having sailed in all three categories, my preference is for SAs.

 

There are those who absolutely swear by SB aft corners--and they certainly are the best balconies of the bunch. But it's a long trek to the Neptune Lounge for coffee and a pain au chocolat in the morning. Also, I much prefer to see the concierge in person for things than to deal with them over the phone, and being in an SA on deck 7 makes that easier.

 

Deck 6 SC's are a nice compromise of price over proximity. I don't mind the marginal increase from SC to SA to put myself on Deck 7--but I'm also perfectly happy to be in an SC and get some extra exercise.

 

Deck 6 SB's and SC's are identical in size, but the SB's are further forward--and marginally closer to midships.

[blizzardboy]

The aft-wraps are a little smaller, but for two people, they work just fine. The space lost in the cabin is not storage and is added in veranda space. Remember, all the Neptunes have the same amenities, features and decor, and all offer the same privileges. We'd never booked an SC until a couple of months ago. We are throwing in an extra vacation this year in November, didn't really care about which Caribbean itinerary, and didn't care (within reason) about cabin location, as long we were in a Neptune. We booked SC 6109 on the NA, which is convenient to the elevators in either direction. It's been several aft-wraps in a row, so the view will be different. It will take me about 1 minute including an elevator ride to get to the lounge - two if I was over-served the night before.

[scopewest]

We had an SC (now SB) on deck six. Yes, it was a nice balcony, but we ending up spending a lot of time in the Neptune lounge, and I realized I'd rather have a cabin on deck 7 with easier access to the lounge.

[Djptcp]

We prefer our Neptune Suites (our last 4 HAL cruises) to be close to the Neptune Lounge because we go there quite often during the day to take advantage of the wonderful snacks and to talk with the concierges. I also use the computer there several times during the cruises.

[tulip2010]

Thank you everyone for the great information!!!:)